It could happen to you
by yellowstar
Summary: SPD: spdficsforvalsSky realizes it could happen to you.


It could happen to you

It could happen to you. And if you're like me you're so stubborn and clueless that you didn't realize it until it was too late to stop it. Because you see falling in love was never part of the plan. Now I've had my life planned since I was five years old, my only ambition to be like my dad and be the red ranger. And since his death I've only been more driven to succeed. I'd traded in friends for fighting, extra curricular activities for training. But along the way I've met some people who have changed my perspective, one in particular.

Only it took me two years to realize it. When she first arrived at the academy, it was easy to not take her seriously. The blonde haired beauty with glowing blue eyes, full of grace and charm, friendly and cheery seemed so out of place in a disciplined center of organization and order. She was pretty much everything I was not. So of course at the beginning there was resentment. I didn't understand her nor did I try to.

Eventually resentment begrudgingly gave way to amusement, as I found myself loosening up and laughing at her antics. Besides, her and Bridge would gang up on me until I gave in. The next few months we bonded as a team and I began to appreciate her as a teammate and as a friend. As a friend she never let me retreat too far away. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I was glad that she was so perservering. Heaven knows I didn't give her any reason to want to be my friend. But that's who she is. It would be impossible for her to not be friendly to people. She was the first one to accept Z and Jack on the team.

As a teammate she has never let me down. Sydney will never back away from a fight, which is a tremendous strength of hers, but I admit it does send chills right down my spine now whenever she puts herself in danger. Because I know now what I didn't know then; I love her. It wasn't a fast occurrence; it was a slow and steady burn that grew into a burning flame.

The day I realized I loved her was the day I almost lost her. We were entrenched in a battle where the odds were against us. We knew it, Cruger knew it, and Grumm certainly knew it. We were bruised and weary and on the verge of retreat. With a fierceness I envied at that moment, she picked herself off the ground and would not back down or stop until the monster was defeated.

I remember the day Cruger asked me if he appointed Syd red ranger would I follow her into battle. I scoffed at the idea of the pink princess being appointed leader over me, the battle tested and born ranger. But as time went by my opinion changed of myself, my teammates and Syd. That day I did follow her into battle; she was the inspiration, the light at the end of the tunnel. Without her leadership that day, we never would have won that battle. And if we hadn't won that battle, we might not have won the war.

We didn't realize the toll her body had taken in the fight until we returned to the academy and powered down to face Cruger for debriefing. Granted we were all pretty sore and beat up after that fight, but somehow Syd had taken the brunt of it.

I, the strong, stoic blue ranger, wanted to cry when I saw the bruises that covered her face and arms. How she struggled to stand but her pride refused to sit. I saw Bridge and Z keep their arms around her to support her. Cruger must have noticed too because he immediately sent us all down to infirmary. She was diagnosed with a few busted ribs and a fractured right arm. Her knee was swollen making walking such a painful chore. Yet there she was standing next to Z while she got a shot to fight off infections from the wounds inflicted by Grumm. Syd knows how afraid Z is of shots.

She was with Bridge right before he went into surgery to fix his shattered wrist. I could have sworn I had seen tears in both their eyes as she whispered in his ear.

She sat next to Jack and reassured him that it wasn't his fault; there was nothing he could have done differently to change the outcome. That was when my feelings started to change for the pink ranger. I saw the depths of her emotions and her love for her friends, and I was stunned when I recognized it had been there all along. I had just been too stupid to see it. I could only see her beauty; her talent but I had never truly seen her heart. Her heart is what makes Sydney different from any other person I have ever met.

I always thought I lived with no regrets, but there is one I live with every day now.

I just wish I could have told her. What I didn't know, what none of us knew was that she was hiding her pain away from us. She refused treatment until each one of us had been taken care of. It's hard to believe I once thought her selfish.

One of her ribs had punctured her lungs, making it harder to breathe. When the doctor finally got to her it was too late. The hole had opened so large it was irreparable. She was gone so suddenly; it felt like I was the one who had a hole in my lungs. I couldn't breathe as I watched her tan face go pale, her blue eyes close forever, her breath finally ceasing.

This could happen to you; if you hold too closely to your plans, you might miss out on destiny. You spend your whole life trying to control your future that you screw up the present. You could try all you like not to fall in love, but you will. I only pray that when you find it that you won't let it go.

A/N: Sorry its so sad, but I tried to make it sweet. I will write a happier one next. I love Syd and Sky but wanted to try another path. Please review, no flames please!


End file.
